$moke Break || TAEKOOK

25

Taehyung's apartment was not a royal or luxurious one but definitely spacious enough for at least 2 people to live comfortably. Yet Jungkook kept refusing his offer to stay at his place when he got discharged from the hospital. He knew his boundaries too well to not let his temporary happiness swallow him completely.

Taehyung took care of him at the hospital too, sticking to him 24/7 if possible. He didn't let Jungkook feel even the slightest discomfort or that he was alone in this fight. And Jungkook was enough thankful for that. He wasn't sure if he could ever repay Taehyung for this.

"Mr. Kim.. I'm really fine. You shouldn't have to take leaves for m-"

"Oh look at the time. It's time for your medication. Isn't it? We can't forget that now. Can we?"

And that's how Taehyung always avoided the topic. Jungkook was too tired to talk further. Most of the time, he was out for the medications he had to take and sometimes for the ones he was forced to take.

He was aware that those bastārds were now in jail and Taehyung's very close friend who was a lawyer who had taken the case. But he couldn't stop the nightmares. And then waking upto himself crying without sobs. As if those tears were not his own. They worked as to release the pain from his body only, engraved deeply in his soul.

"My eyes feel a bit itchy.."

He would mutter to himself, only to find someone's presence beside him. A pair of hands wiping his tears gently and patting his head afterwards. Sometimes he didn't even open his eyes, knowing too well who it was and his presence brought comfort to Jungkook.  When the hands held his own, he felt at ease, a sense of something he barely felt before, even in the middle of the night.

When the 1 week stay at the hospital came to an end, his injuries were a lot better. He was off all those weird machines he wasn't really fond as well as the tubes attached to him. But one thing that didn't improve physically was his eating habit. It was hard for him to eat solid food more because of the forced starvation and alcoholism. And about mentally.... let's not go over there..for now. He had been through enough already.

Home.

That's what Taehyung told him they would go to. But it was Taehyung's not his. And he couldn't be greedy and ask for more than whatever Taehyung had already done for him. He felt like as if he'd be taking advantage of the innocence and kindness Taehyung possessed.

Innocence - it was something Jungkook wished to remain as it was and the people who still managed to hold it, may have it forever which reminded of his own sister. She's always been Jungkook's ray of hope, innocent but fierce, just like the sun. He missed her and his father although many a times he felt it was better to stay away from their world now as he'd become part of another, more tainted one. And he might put them into danger by getting them into his world now.

So it was not an option to get back to his own place, to his family. He remembered seeing his father barely but whenever they met it was always a moment of happiness. He could never snatch it from his own family. Although he wished to visit his family secretly after his recovery now that he was free..

Taehyung didn't take no as an answer. He somehow convinced Jungkook saying he could use a roommate/ house mate and Jungkook could pay half the rent once he was fully recovered and would start working again and so on. Jungkook himself was surprised how he felt into the trap of Taehyung.

It's been barely 2 days Jungkook had been in Taehyung's apartment. He was staying in the guest bedroom while Taehyung stayed in his own. But in the middle of the night if Taehyung woke up several times just to check Jungkook, no one had to know.